Crimespree's Favorite Reads of 2015

In no particular order:

Ava Black:
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN – Paula Hawkins
THE DAMNED – Andrew Pyper
TWISTED – Andrew Kaufman
A DARK LURE – Loreth Anne White
EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES – Lisa Scottoline
THE DARKEST HEART – Dan Smith
NEW YORKED – Rob Hart

Ayo Onatade:
My favourite books of 2015 are a varied bunch. They are as follows fiction and non-fiction in no particular order and mainly as I have remembered them.

Fiction
PLEASANTVILLE by Attica Locke (Serpent’s Tail)
THE TRUTH AND OTHER LIES by Sascha Arango (Simon and Schuster)
THE KILLING KIND by Chris Holm (Mulholland Books)
A SONG OF SHADOWS by John Connolly (Hodder and Stoughton)
THE GHOSTS OF ALTONA by Craig Russell. (Quercus)
SILVER BULLETS by Elmer Mendoza (MacLehose Press)
ARAB JAZZ by Karim Miské (MacLehose Press)
STEALING PEOPLE by Robert Wilson (Orion)
BLOOD, SALT WATER by Denise Mina (Orion)
THE BODY SNATCHER by Patrica Melo (Bitter Lemon Press)
EVERY NIGHT I DREAM OF HELL by Malcolm Mckay (Pan MacMillan)
CANARY by Duane Swiercznsky (Mulholland Books)

Non Fiction
REACHER SAID NOTHING: LEE CHILD AND THE MAKING OF MAKE ME by Dr Andy Martin (Bantam)
CRIME UNCOVERED: DETECTIVE Edited by Barry Forshaw (Intellect)
TOM ADAMS UNCOVERED: THE ART OF AGATHA CHRISTIE AND BEYOND by Tom Adams and John Curran (Harper Collins)
THE GOLDEN AGE OF MURDER by Martin Edwards (Harper Collins)
LITTLE GREY CELLS: THE QUOTABLE POIROT Edited by David Brawn (Harper Collins)

Bryan VanMeter:
Clive Barker the SCARLET GOSPELS
Chuck Wendig STAR WARS: AFTERMATH
shane Kuhn HOSTILE TAKEOVER
Alex Grecian THE HARVEST MAN
Daniel Kraus THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ZEBULON FINCH
Erik Larson DEAD WAKE
Jason Starr SAVAGE LANE
Joelle Charbonneau NEED
Sean Chercover the DEVILS GAME
Victor gischler GESTAPO MARS

Chris Holm:
Thanks to a crazy writing year, there are loads of 2015 titles I’m dying to read that I haven’t gotten to yet, so consider this list partial at best. I’d say it’s in no particular order, but that’s not true; I couldn’t help but alphabetize.

Megan Abbott THE FEVER
Lou Berney THE LONG AND FARAWAY GONE
David Mitchell THE BONE CLOCKS (which, okay, came out in 2014, but I didn’t read it until 2015)
Stuart Neville THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND
Ann Rule THE STRANGER BESIDE ME (yes, this book’s damn near as old as I am, but I’m including it here because Rule died in 2015, and the heartfelt eulogies from her fans encouraged me to pick it up)

Dan Malmon:
RUMRUNNERS by Eric Beetner (280 Steps)
THE FURY OF BLACKY JAGUAR by Angel Luis Colon (One Eye Press)
STAY by Victor Gischler (St. Martin’s Press)
NEW YORKED by Rob Hart (Polis Books)
SAVAGE LANE by Jason Starr (Polis Books)

TOP 5 COMICS OF 2015
Dr. Strange by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo- Marvel
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson- Marvel
Insufferable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause- IDW
Black Hood by Duane Swierczynski and Michael Gaydos- Archie Comics/ Dark Circle
Secret Wars- Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic- Marvel

Erica Ruth Neubauer:
THE LONG AND FAR AWAY GONE by Lou Berney
THE SHORT DROP by Matthew FitzSimmons
FALSE POSITIVE by Andrew Grant
THE KILLING KIND by Chris Holm
THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND by Stuart Neville
CRACKED by Barbra Leslie
LITTLE PRETTY THINGS by Lori Rader-Day
THE CATALAIN BOOK OF SECRETS by Jess Lourey
THE FRAUD by Brad Parks
TROUBLE IS A FRIEND OF MINE by Stephanie Tromly
THE FATAL FLAME by Lyndsay Faye
FLAME OUT by MP Coole

Jon Jordan:
Novels:
BRUSH BACK by Sara Paretsky
CHARLOTTE’S STORY by Laura Benedict
THE DEVIL’S GAME by Sean Chercover
FALSE POSITIVE by Andrew Grant
HERBIE’S GAME by Tim Hallinan
THE KILLING KIND by Chris Holm
LITTLE PRETTY THINGS by Lori Rader-Day
MURDER ON THE CHAMP DE MARS by Cara Black
ONCE SHADOWS FALL Robert Daniels
STAY by Victor Gicshler
SPLINTER THE SILENCE by Val McDermid
THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND by Stuart Neville
Comics
Astro City (Vertigo)
Spider-Man (Marvel)
Batman (DC)
Daredevil (Marvel)
Lazarus (IDW)

Kate Malmon:
SUNSET AND SAWDUST by Joe R. Lansdale
DOVE SEASON by Johnny Shaw
CANARY by Duane Swierczynski
DEVIL’S GAME by Sean Chercover
GHESTAPO MARS by Victor Gischler
FEBRUARY FEVER by Jess Lourey
Comics:
Ms. Marvel
Spider Gwen
Archie
Paper Girls
Superman: American Alien

Katrina Niidas Holm:

I didn’t get through nearly as many books as I intended to in 2015, and I’m positive I’m forgetting to list something I adored, so rather than give you a Top Ten list, here are Ten Books I Read and Loved in 2015:

THE LONG AND FARAWAY GONE by Lou Berney
HOW TO START A FIRE by Lisa Lutz
THE KILLING KIND by Chris Holm (no, YOU’RE biased)
SPLINTER THE SILENCE by Val McDermid
THE TRUTH AND OTHER LIES by Sascha Arango
NO GHOULS ALLOWED by Victoria Laurie
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MENUS by Julie Hyzy
GIVE UP THE GHOST by Juliet Blackwell
THE AWESOME by Eva Darrows
SUICIDE NOTES FROM BEAUTIFUL GIRLS by Lynn Weingarten

Kyle Joseph Schmidt
Comics of the year
Wuvable Oaf
Technically, this series was written over years. But 2015 saw the hardcover collected edition from Fantagraphics and the world is a better place for it.
Ed Luce has created the perfect example of why indie books are necessary in the world. Beautifully crafted, Oaf is a celebration of a different side of gay life. Oaf is a large, very large bear of a man who loves Morrissey, kitties, metal, and surly little guys. He lives his life of kitty philanthropy and making dolls. He has a pretty good life but there’s something missing. His book explores that and all wonderful things he and his friends go through.
Luce’s art is stunningly gorgeous and propels his vision into another dimension. The complexity of his characters are real powerful. They all have lives they’ve lived and places they’re going. Their stories are no where near done and I can’t wait to see where it heads.

Loki: Agent of Asgard
Remember the brilliance of Sandman? The utter complexity of the storytelling and prose are a wonder to behold. Well, the next generation of near perfect mythology arrived with the surprise of All Ewing’s “Loki: Agent of Asgard.”
Loki has been trying to get his life and future back in order after the horrible (and incredible) ending of his “Journey into Mystery” run. The All-Mother of Asgard hires him to complete tasks. And for every task he finishes he gets one of his many many sins erased. Of course, life, even for a god, is never that simple.
The story is a complex and heart- wrenching tale on many levels.

Ruth Jordan:
In a year where we were honored for our support of the genre I got not nearly enough of my reading list completed but the choices were all excellent. Off the top of my head these are a few that entertained me immensely.

Lisa Lutz took a break from the Spellmans and charmed me all over again with HOW TO START A FIRE.

DEVIL’S GAME by Sean Chercover is outstanding. The second installment of his Game Trilogy has protagonist Daniel Byrne investigating a new and terrifying plague. A favorite since I opened the first page of his first book, I’m pretty sure Mr. Chercover will always make my top ten list. Check it out and I know he’ll make yours this year.

Olen Steinhauer’s ALL THE OLD KNIVES is a marvelous game of cat & mouse. The man creates tension as effortlessly and effectively as I eat Doritos. Contemporary and classic thriller all in one package, Hitchcock would have loved this.

BLOOD, SALT, WATER from Denise Mina is my bailiwick. It contains all of my favorite elements of mystery; a curiosity that gets increasingly more sinister, a straight forward narrative that still manages ahas along the way, and one great detective.

THE KILLING KIND by Chris Holm. READ IT!

Okay this one is kind of a cheat but I snatch up Jeff Abbott books as soon as they arrive so the January 6th pub date is moot. I love me some Sam Capra and THE FIRST ORDER is everything I want a book to be.

Robert Crais. THE PROMISE has Elvis, Joe, Maggie and Scott. Do I need to say more? Okay it has me too, but don’t skim or you’ll miss me.

Stuart Neville’s THOSE WE LEFT behind has further submitted my love affair with his writing. Another ace from across the sea.

THE ADVENTURESS is Tasha Alexander’s 10th book. I recommend it highly for its twisty plot,
Beautiful setting and accurate history. Lady Emily has always entertained. This one was special.

When I saw Tim Hallihan last winter he said HERBIE’S GAME was his favorite novel yet. I agree.

I also recommend Sarah Weinman’s WOMEN CRIME WRITERS, a fantastic collection of some of the past’s best female authors collected by someone who knows, loves and is committed to the genre.

Tim Hennessy
SWEET NOTHING by Richard Lange
Lange’s second short story collection is filled with stunning narratives brimming empathetic characters capable of great cruelty and great humanity.

GHETTOSIDE: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER IN AMERICA by Jill Leovy
This year in America, police officers’ behavior on the job has come under greater scrutiny and been the cause of more social upheaval than in any time in recent memory. Jill Leovy’s brutally intimate portrait of murder in America and the homicide detectives who doggedly work in South Central LA brings a very necessary perspective on one of the toughest jobs in our increasingly chaotic times.

ZERO SAINTS by Gabino Iglesias
Iglesias’ second novel of the year kicks off its frenetic pace with a kidnapping that disorients not just our narrator but drags us along for a wild relentless ride.
Zero Saints has a place of notoriety in my year of reads for an early torture scene that I stumbled into while hoping to take my panicked mind off an agonizing medical procedure I was awaiting. The scene builds to a sweaty crescendo not through easily expected gore; instead it’s an early preview of the viscerally intense narrative that Iglesias has skillfully crafted.

SO YOU’VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED by Jon Ronson
Throughout this year alone there were countless examples of people’s propensity to take to the internet to enact social justice without any second thoughts as to the repercussions of their actions. Ronson’s book examines those who’ve found themselves on the wrong side of witch hunts, at times horrifying and hilarious as it is chilling just how easily it could happen to any of us in a moment of impropriety. These were easily some of most disturbing tales of revenge I came across all year.
Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

While my comic book reading has become sluggish, Brubaker & Phillips have consistently produced work that I cannot go without. Their tangled mystery set behind the scenes of 1948 Hollywood has been their most ambitious and rewarding work to date.